SOUZA: Bass can't resist worm flies

I know a lot of anglers. Some fish the salt, others like nothing better than fishing freshwater for large- and smallmouth bass. Considering the vast amount of lure selection on the market, most of the guys I know are worm fishermen.

I know a lot of anglers. Some fish the salt, others like nothing better than fishing freshwater for large- and smallmouth bass. Considering the vast amount of lure selection on the market, most of the guys I know are worm fishermen. I’m not talking putting a night crawler on a hook and hanging it from a long leader with a bobber. These guys like fishing with plastic worms and other creatures. There’s a very good reason for this: it’s a very effective way to catch bass.

Bass are very aggressive at times, and at other times you have to tempt them to hit any lure. At times like those, a worm is the best medicine. For starters, bass don’t really have any chance to see worms in a pond or stream. In spite of this, they hit a worm most times with a violent strike. The only reason I think they hit worms is they may think it’s a leech or possibly a snake in the water. No matter what makes the strike happen, it would seem a worm is one of the best baits to induce a strike.

That being said, given the choice, I’d rather be fly fishing. At times when nothing else is working, I use a fly that resembles a worm. It’s an impression of a worm. The way it’s made, the worm fly looks like it’s constantly in motion, even when stopped. It’s also made to float just above the bottom. This way, bass notice it as it’s moved slowly across the bottom.

If you fish for bass, you know what a Carolina rig is and how to use it. The worm fly is fished the same way. I use a 6-foot monofilament leader, but instead of the big brass sinker, half way down the line I add a split shot. The rest the leader between the split shot and the fly line will be on the bottom but that three feet leaves enough line so the worm fly will stay off the bottom.

To get the fly line down deep enough I use Teeny line. The first 30 feet or so is sinking line and the rest is intermediate that sinks slowly. You can use a full sink line but it’s tougher to begin your next cast with that style of line. The Teeny line has enough of a section of intermediate to make the next cast much easier and still get the working end to the bottom fast. The monofilament leader floats slightly, so the end of the line and the three feet of the leader get to the bottom with the assistance of the split shot. The last three are free to float just above the bottom as the line is slowly stripped.

Page 2 of 3 - Instead of slowly lifting the rod tip to work the action of the worm, with a fly rig I tuck the rod up under my arm and using two hands, slowly strip the fly over the bottom. If I were to use the tip-lifting method with a fly rod I’d introduce too much slack. Chances are, if I got hit during that time, I’d never get the slack out of the line fast enough to set the hook.

With this setup I feel every snag and bump on the bottom. That’s good because bottom contact is what helps attract the bass. The bottom will get stirred up just enough to get the attention of a bass that’s hiding in cover. With the weedless hook I can put this rig down into the nastiest, snaggiest area of a pond and will still be able to get out of all the snags. Why would I want to cast into possible trouble? That’s where the bass make their living most of the time. Let me paraphrase something bass fishing pro Jimmy Houston said on one of his fishing shows. He said if you’re not getting hung up, you’re not fishing in the right spot.

Building the worm fly is fairly simple. You’ll need four long, thin hackle feathers and one full webby hackle. A weedless hook, thread and cement round out the list.

Step one

Bend the weed guard out of the way and wrap the thread the entire length of the hook. This is just a base to attach the hackle feathers so you don’t have to get these wraps perfect.

Step two

Wrap the thread back to the center of the shank and tie in the first hackle. You only need a couple of wraps to secure the feather.

Step three

Now add the rest of the hackles one at a time until you go all the way around the hook. Once the hackles are in place the way you want, finish tying them down securely.

Step four

Tie in the thick hackle just in front of the other hackles and palmer forward. Palmering is wrapping the feather around the hook shank in such a way that it doesn’t wrap over itself. This method makes the fiber stick out away from the fly. This also aids in keeping the fly off the bottom.

Step five

Tie off at the thread behind the hook eye and finish the fly using plenty of Dave’s Flexcement.

The hackled feather helps keep the fly off the bottom and the uglier you make that section the better. If you saw this fly at a tackle shop you probably would never buy it.

Page 3 of 3 - If you are an ultra-light spin fisherman or use finesse techniques for bass, you can also use the worm fly. Set it up the same way I do on the fly leader, attaching a split shot about three feet above the fly. Work it the same way you’d work a Carolina right. It’s a very light touch but you’ll still feel the contact on the bottom and strikes will usually come hard. If you really want to go for it, use your baitcaster with a heavy Carolina rig brass sinker setup and see what happens. I haven’t tried this, but this could turn a bad day of fishing into a good day.

While it doesn’t look like a real worm, the four feathers will give it plenty of action and the palmered feather will help it stay above the bottom. This is a very ugly fly that is easy to tie and simple to use. Cast out, let it sink, strip it back slowly and hold on for the strike.